[This one story illustrates the]…crisis facing the custodians of the 12,000 listed Anglican parish churches around the country, two thirds of which are in rural areas with tiny and dwindling congregations struggling to pay maintenance bills. The desperation caused by this funding shortfall has been brought into sharp relief this week by the news that thousands of homeowners living near ancient churches potentially face large bills for the upkeep of their fabric, even if they never set foot inside them.<\/p>\n
The Anglican authorities are currently writing to parochial church councils to encourage them to register what are called \u201cchancel repair liabilities\u201d\u009d. These date back more than 500 years to the Reformation period and the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Those who took over what had been monks\u2019 land took on the responsibility for repairing the chancel (the area around the altar) in the local church. These remain on the statute book, even though they have fallen into abeyance.<\/p>\n